The 38-year-old footballer defeated the Qatari squad in their first AFC leg last month, scoring two goals and an assist. 

Famed football icon Cristiano Ronaldo was not pictured alongside his team as they travelled to Qatar for the much-anticipated AFC Group E clash against Qatar’s Al-Duhail.

reportedly not travelling to Qatar with his Al Nassr squad as they are set to face Qatar’s Al-Duhail in a much-anticipated AFC Group E clash at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday. 

According to several Saudi football journalists, the 38-year-old will is resting after allegedly voicing pain in his ankle following his last match against Al Khaleej FC. 

“Luis Castro, coach of Al-Nassr Saudi Arabia, preferred to give Cristiano Ronaldo a rest from the Al-Duhail match tomorrow, as the player suffers from fatigue,” Al Kass TV reported, according to a source.

Despite no official statement from the Saudi team, Al Nassr, who landed in Doha on Monday, posted photos of the squad but the Portuguese superstar was notably absent.

News of Ronaldo’s absence will be disappointing for Qatari fans, thousands of which waited hours in line last week for tickets for the match at Khalifa International Stadium. 

The game was initially scheduled to kick off at the smaller Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium – Al Duhail’s home – but was moved to the larger 40,000-seat open-air Khalifa International Stadium to accomodate the influx of fans.

While the news is sure to upset die-hard fans of the former Real Madrid legend, it is likely to pump up the Al-Duhail squad.

The Qatari side suffered a defeat in the first leg of the match last month after the footballing icon struck two goals and an assist to secure his team’s 4-3 win.

The superior performance by Ronaldo places the footballer to have a record 863 senior career goals for both his club and country.